Malaysia News: FTSE 100 opens slightly down as polls narrow further ahead of the general election

Selasa, 6 Jun 2017

FTSE 100 opens slightly down as polls narrow further ahead of the general election

Three actors, portraying Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron, at a new general election themed attraction called 'Poll-tergeist', which is an addition to Derren Brown�s Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon attraction at Thorpe Park Resort in Surrey, aimed at encouraging young people to get involved with the vote.

Three actors portraying, from left, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron.

LONDON — The FTSE 100 opened slightly down on Tuesday morning as polls showed Labour closing in further on the Conservatives as Thursday’s general election approaches.

The mood of investors appears relatively calm ahead of the election despite a Survation poll, published late on Monday evening, suggesting Labour are within one point of the Conservatives, introducing the prospect of a hung parliament or coalition government which could unsettle markets.

Here is how it looks in early hours trading minutes of trading. The bourse was down 0.15% to trade at 7,514.7 points at 8.20 a.m. BST (3.20 a.m. ET):

Markets Insider

Traders do not appear significantly unsettled by the polls, however,

Kathleen Brooks, research analyst at City Index, says in a note (emphasis ours):

“Late last night another Survation poll has put the Conservatives a mere 1.1 point ahead of Labour, well within the margin of error, with just two days of campaigning to go. We have pointed out that there are multiple polls, and not all are as negative on the Tories as Survation appears to be.”

“It is worth remembering that betting odds still put the chances of a Conservative majority at 92%, so the prospect of an adverse outcome remains a key risk for asset prices in the short term.”

The biggest fallers on the index in early trading are medical products company Convatec, down 4.88%, and fashion house Burberry, down 2.16%. Early risers include airline EasyJet, rallying 1.41% after a drop yesterday.

Elsewhere the dollar and US crude oil prices fell overnight as the oil markets continue to battle with volatility.